


Thank You For Loaning Me These Clothes--Do You Need Them Back?

by TigerOfTheTundra



Series: Starlight--Paladin Talis arc 1 [3]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Dungeons & Dragons - All Media Types
Genre: Feelings, What Feelings, he's fine clearly, no he doesn't need to talk about this, this is a normal amount of emotion to feel at having shelter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:55:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23685742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TigerOfTheTundra/pseuds/TigerOfTheTundra
Summary: Talis and Ace look at a room at the inn
Series: Starlight--Paladin Talis arc 1 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1681462
Comments: 2
Kudos: 1





	Thank You For Loaning Me These Clothes--Do You Need Them Back?

The room had a window. Top floor. One window, one door. A bed and a wooden trunk, grayer than the recently washed floorboards. Talis took a single, careful step over the threshold, holding the clothing bundle close—more to let Ace and the innkeeper in than to explore the space.

“I’m afraid it’s a little small, but it’s what I have for now,” the human innkeeper said. “Once a larger room opens up, you’re welcome to it. Most adventurers around here like to winter over in the city, so I should have a vacancy come spring.”  _ Spring _ . Talis hugged the shirt and pants to his chest and looked about, at the bare walls, the thin sunlight. In  _ spring _ . How far…?

“What do you say to that, son?” Ace nearly materialized at his side. He startled, but the older dragonborn only paused a moment. “I know it’s not much,” he added in a lower voice, “so we can look around if you want.”

“No, it’s fine!” He spoke too quickly, unconvincingly. “It’s… great.” Talis tried to smile, to look sincere. “This room is… perfect, for me.” They called it small but… it felt so big. Empty. The innkeeper offered a puzzled expression, as they opened the window. 

“Are you sure?” Ace asked. Talis nodded.

“I… I still don’t have any money,” he mumbled, with a nervous glance to the innkeeper. They didn't seem to notice.

"It's all right." Ace patted his shoulder. "Like I said, he'll understand. A lot of adventurers come into town and get a room on credit for a bit." He looked around the room. "And you're sure you like this one?" Talis nodded. Probably too much, but Ace beamed. "All right!" 

"Can, um…" He clenched his hands then loosened them. "Could I have a moment? To, uh… unpack?" He had the one change of clothes, folded in his arms, and borrowed from Ace. But he offered a weak smile. The other dragonborn smiled back.

"Of course, my boy!" he said. "I'll be downstairs, if you need anything. We can work out everything once you’re settled." And with a final pat of his shoulder, Ace left, and the innkeeper followed. 

Slowly, Talis walked the length of the room, running his hand along the wooden wall. The window overlooked an alley, near the street, high enough to catch a vein of fresh air. He stood for a moment at the window as the air brushed his face. 

Suddenly he sank onto the edge of the bed. He curled around the bundle of spare clothes. He'd, he'd meant to return them. He had. He'd folded them up, and he was going to leave them, then Ace handed them to him, and said there was a room to look at, and--

And he couldn't stop pressing the bundle of fabric to his chest. 

**Author's Note:**

> my emotional little bab ;u; All of this takes place like _directly_ after At The Inn's final chapter, probably shortly after they get back from their walk. It's all a lot to take in rn
> 
> Sorry this went up so late!!! Time is no longer real here. 
> 
> I'll also be posting the interim shorts I've got written... probably every week and a half to two weeks? I haven't written the story that will be the end of this arc, because it's a write up of the campaign I played Talis in, and I've been intimidated by trying to capture the wild fun of DND adventures. My notes and memories only give me so much to go off of, and a written story is such a different thing than spontaneous interactions over a game ^^ So I'm working on that--Talis first big adventure out in the non-backstory, not-my-fault world! And in the mean time, I'll be occasionally posting stories about his time between arriving in Neverwinter and that first adventure, as well as any I'm not going to hold to any set schedule on those! Just whenever I get around to polishing them up for AO3 ^^
> 
> Ace is not my character, he belongs to Rai at raiswanson.tumblr.com, please go support all of her Dad OCs, they need all of the love
> 
> Please let me know what you think, what you like, and what sorts of shenanigans you think Talis will be getting up to next!! If you guess right, you get... the shining beacon of internet fame that is guessing something right. Or a hug from Talis. Whichever you want


End file.
